thereductor wrote:What I'm really interested in here is why it is that talk about rebirth is such a source of conflict; between those that favor more 'literal' views verses those that take it as metaphor (or between adherents, rejectors and agnostics). Moreover, this conflict has gotten me to think about which form of resolution we as practitioners are best served by: remain noncommittal, reject one half, or embrace all of it?

I feel left out, being part of a fourth minority group (neither adherent, rejector, nor agnostic) that asks: "'Rebirth'? WTF are you talking about? Which Pali word in which context?" (the semantopath?) This gives another form of resolution, which does not interfere a jot with one's saddhaa.